Before Chief Minister Atishi started the process of shifting to her new official address — 6, Flagstaff Road, Civil Lines — on Monday, the Public Works Department (PWD) has sought keys of the house to undertake a “detailed” inspection of inventories, citing Vigilance cases over alleged irregularities during its renovation.
A letter in this regard was written by the department on Sunday in reply to a communication on October 5 from the Chief Minister’s Office, which had sought that the property be allotted to Ms. Atishi.
The PWD, which comes under Ms. Atishi, in its letter dated October 6, said the keys of the house are yet to be handed over to it for inspection after former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal moved out on October 4. It said the keys were taken back from its officials as soon as the former Chief Minister left the property.
“As you are aware, some Vigilance cases pertaining to the construction of the residence at 6, Flag Staff Road are under way. It is, therefore, necessary on the part of the PWD to undertake an inspection and a detailed stock of inventories inside the house prior to making a fresh allotment of the house,” it added.
The department further requested that the keys be handed over to a designated PWD official without any further delay. Responding to it, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said the PWD “handed over the keys of the CM House to Ms. Atishi on October 6 and that the new Chief Minister is in the process of moving in”.
‘Due process followed’
“The department has followed the due process and protocol while doing so. The General Administration Department has issued a no-dues certificate indicating that former CM Arvind Kejriwal had paid all water, electricity and telephone bills associated with the CM residence,” it said in a statement.
“Not only this, when he vacated the residence, the PWD had issued a vacation report to former CM Arvind Kejriwal. A look at this report clearly indicates that the junior engineer concerned with the PWD had done an inspection of the house and checked the inventory,” it added.
‘Drama by ex-CM’
Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva called Mr. Kejriwal’s move to vacate the premises a “drama”. “As per rules, Arvind Kejriwal still retains the possession of the Sheesh Mahal,” he added.
The BJP had coined the term “Sheesh Mahal” for the bungalow, alleging irregularities in its construction and money spent on costly interiors and household items.
Published – October 08, 2024 01:41 am IST